Tip 204: Warm up your voice
Athletes and sportspersons will tell you that before a race or game it is vitally important for them to warm up thoroughly. It is not possible or advisable to launch straight into activity without warming up. The same is true of singers and theatre actors who will typically perform a set of voice exercises to warm up before a performance.
The same rule applies to you and your presentation.
You cannot expect to wake up in the morning and stumble into a presentation in front of a thousand listeners and expect your voice to naturally produce its best tones and melodies on demand. This is simply unrealistic.
When you arrive at the venue, identify a private spot where you will not be disturbed or embarrassed, and perform the following exercises:
Yawn
Rub your face
Screw up your face, aiming to use every muscle in your mouth, face and neck
Stretch and rotate your neck
Stretch your arms and rotate your shoulders
Stand on tiptoes or jump on the spot
Bend forwards and touch your toes
Open your mouth and say "Ah", starting at your lowest pitch and increasing the pitch to your highest
Shout as loud as you can
You will need to use trial and error to develop a warm-up routine that suits you and which you are comfortable to carry out. It should only take a few minutes and the idea is to stimulate your body into action, rather than tire you out.
I can guarantee that after you have completed even a simple warm-up routine, you will feel a lot more in tune with the task that lies ahead of you.
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